"She's on It" is a song by American

rap rock Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, res ...

group Beastie Boys. It was released on September 12, 1985, as the fifth single from of the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to the 1985 film ''

Krush Groove ''Krush Groove'' is a 1985 American musical comedy-drama film distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures that was written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz (who also produced the movie, along with George Jackson and Doug McHenry). T ...

''. The song's

guitar riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

is a slightly slower version of the riff in

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American Rock music, rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, ...

's 1978 song "

Stiff Competition "Stiff Competition" is a song written by Rick Nielsen that first appeared on Cheap Trick's 1978 album ''Heaven Tonight''. It is famous for the sexual double entendres in the lyrics, and subsequently appeared on live and compilation albums. In th ...

," which in turn was based on the riff in

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are conside ...

's 1971 song "

Won't Get Fooled Again "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track ...

." Despite failing to attract commercial success at the time of its initial release in 1985, a re-release in 1987 was more successful, becoming a top-10 hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and reaching the top 50 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and West Germany.

Critical reception

'' Cash Box'' said that it "makes up in rhythm what it lacks in lyrics and musicianship."

Music video

The song's video was produced by

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popu ...

and directed by producer and filmmaker Sean Travis, who later, in the 2000s, produced MTV's

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series '' The Hills'' and '' The City''. It was the band's first professionally produced music video and their third video overall, after 1981's ''Holy Snappers'' and ''Egg Raid On Mojo'' in 1982. Filmed in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...

in New York's Nassau County, the boys are trying to win the heart of a woman (

Sharon Middendorf Sharon Lyn Middendorf (born January 5, 1962) is an American entrepreneur, model,
''CD Sha ...

) on the beach, but their efforts are foiled by stampeding female fans. Not even the assistance of a mentor (played by

) can help them. Their attempts range from using

Spanish Fly The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparation ...

to flying over her in a helicopter and a net, and they even attempt to blow her up. She survives while the boys struggle to start the dynamite, and suddenly, it blows up and the video concludes. The video was included in the band's 1987 CBS/Fox Video compilation, but has not been included on any video release since.

Track listings

7-inch single (1985) :A. "She's on It" – 3:28 :B. "Slow and Low" – 3:37 12-inch single (1985) :A. "She's on It" – 4:15 :B. "Slow and Low" – 3:37 12-inch single (1987) :A1. "She's on It" – 4:15 :B2. "Hold It, Now Hit It" – 3:30 :B2. "Slow and Low" – 3:37

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1985 singles 1985 songs 1987 singles Beastie Boys songs Columbia Records singles Def Jam Recordings singles Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin